Reach versus inaccuracy: should social media be at the forefront during a crisis?

The use of social media to report events has become a normal occurrence. Any time anything happens that is newsworthy, many turn first to social media, plugging in Twitter hashtags and searching the Facebook news feeds for information. As disorganized and young as the industry is, it has been influential in getting the word out during times of crisis.

There’s a caveat. It simply isn’t as correct as traditional news sources. The space allotted for reporting, both professional- and citizen-based, isn’t enough to paint a full picture at times. There are also those who intentionally mislead through social media. The strength of the medium – always on with reach that comes from hundreds of millions of active users worldwide, is also the weakness.

In tis infogaphic, we take a look at some of the pros and cons of social media as it affects a world during crises.